I'm not really a girl who likes to go out to lunch or cocktails or store openings.

In the end, it’s not about failure, it’s about how much you love what you do.

I see myself as an arbiter of taste.

It's kind of hard when your moniker is "bridal" and "evening" for people to understand that I don't run around in a bridal gown all day, nor do I run around in an evening gown. I run around in clothes that resonate for me. I wanted to do those clothes in my ready-to-wear collection - because I don't know how you can be a woman designing for other women and not relate it back to yourself.

Design is about point of view, and there should be some sort of woman or lifestyle or attitude in one's head as a designer.

The intricate engraving, fine lines, beading and milgrain accents echo an era defined by elaborate embellishments.

It's hard to juggle being a businessperson with being a creative person. You have to organize yourself - PR needs me for PR, and the licensing division needs me for licensing, the bridal people need me for bridal.